Four French citizens suspected of involvement in the September 11 attacks in the United States are being held in the Republic of Yemen, the French foreign ministry confirmed on Monday.

Ministry spokesman Francois Rivasseau said the French consulate in Sanaa was providing assistance to the four. "As far as we know, they have not been made the object of official charges at this time," he added.

Rivasseau was reacting to reports in the Yemeni media that said several foreigners, including French nationals, were being detained in relation to the September 11, 2001 attacks on New York and Washington. The spokesman did not identify the French detainees.

Fifteen of that number were suspected of involvement in the October 2000 bomb attack against the US warship USS Cole as it was entering the Yemeni port of Aden and the rest were arrested after the September 11 attacks, he explained. (Albawaba.com)